Archive for May, 2015

Catch an early glimpse of a multidisciplinary video project The University of Toledo’s College of Communication and the Arts students have been working on over the past semester at the Toledo Botanical Garden’s one night only event.

Originally scheduled for May 30, The event titled “The Garden After Dark” was rescheduled due to weather and will take place Saturday, June 26, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will feature visual displays, performances and refreshments from various community members and businesses.

“Nathan Mattimoe, a former art student, who is part of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and works with the Toledo Botanical Garden, approached me and asked if we would be interested in working with the Toledo Botanical Garden on a projection-based event,” said Barry Whittaker, UT assistant professor of art.

Students’ works will be displayed through projection installations during the event.

“There will be two main sites, one mixed with work from film students and with animations from the Art Department, and another highlighting a multidisciplinary project that involves creating an educational pilot episode for WGTE,” Whittaker said.

The multidisciplinary project involves classes from the Communication, Theatre and Film, and Art departments and is still in development.

The University of Toledo has hired former Southwest Minnesota State head coach Thomas (TJ) Buchholz as its head women’s soccer coach, UT Vice President and Athletic Director Mike O’Brien announced Friday.

Buchholz

“I’m thrilled to welcome TJ Buchholz as the head women’s soccer coach at The University of Toledo,” O’Brien said. “TJ is a proven winner at the collegiate level. He built Southwest Minnesota State into a competitive regional team. His teams have excelled on the field, in the classroom and in the community. He is a great choice to lead our women’s soccer team.”

“I’m truly overjoyed for the opportunity to lead this well-respected program,” said Buchholz, who will be the third coach in the 20-year history of the program. “The UT soccer program has a strong history, winning four conference tournament titles, and has consistently been one of the top teams in the region. I’m very aware of their past accomplishments, and I look to continue the great tradition.

“It was very tough to leave Southwest Minnesota State. I had four special years there, but The University of Toledo is also a special place, and I can’t wait to get started.“

Buchholz posted a record of 38-32-5 in four years at NCAA Division II SMSU, including 29-24-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He helped the Mustangs establish 17 school records during his stay at SMSU.

This past fall, Southwest Minnesota State finished 10-8-1 overall, 9-5-1 in the league. Autumn Hayes and Miranda Cadena were tabbed to the All-Central Region second team. In total, five players were named to the conference team.

In 2013, SMSU reached new heights by earning a berth into the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. The Mustangs earned two postseason victories along the way, defeating No. 1 seed Minnesota State to snap the Mavericks’ 36-match home winning streak and advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. SMSU wrapped up the year with a school-record 16 wins and was ranked No. 18 in the Top 25 poll. For the squad’s efforts on the pitch, Buchholz was tabbed the conference coach of the year.

SMSU had six players garner all-conference accolades in 2013, including Brienna Dehkes, who earned goalkeeper of the year honors. Cadena also was named the NCAA Division II Central Region Player of the Year and became the program’s first ever All-American. SMSU had a total of five players earn all-region laurels in 2013.

Buchholz laid the foundation during his first two seasons, producing a 5-10-1 record in 2011, the program’s highest victory total since 2004, and improving again in 2012, finishing with a 7-9-1 mark.

Academically, SMSU maintained at least a 3.0 team grade-point average every year since 2011 and earned multiple National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Awards.

Buchholz, who has 12 seasons of head coaching experience at the collegiate level, came to SMSU after spending 2010 as assistant women’s soccer coach at NCAA Division I California-Riverside.

Prior to his stint at UC-Riverside, Buchholz spent two seasons (2008-09) as the head women’s and men’s soccer coach at NCAA Division III Wartburg College in Iowa and seven seasons (2001-08) as head coach of the men’s program at Northwestern College in Iowa. He also served one season as the Northwestern College head women’s soccer coach (2007).

His career head coaching record in women’s soccer is 76-47-9 in six seasons and 99-69-7 in nine seasons as a men’s head coach.

During his two seasons as Wartburg’s women’s head coach, the team compiled a 31-5-4 overall record, won the program’s first-ever conference championship in 2008 and achieved the first-ever national ranking in 2009. He led the Wartburg men’s team to a pair of conference tournament championships, two NCAA Championship appearances and an overall ledger of 31-10-2. In the classroom, both programs received National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Awards in 2008 and 2009.

Prior to arriving at Wartburg, Buchholz was at the helm of the men’s soccer program at Northwestern College for seven seasons, compiling a record of 68-59-5. During his tenure, the Red Raiders won one conference title, advanced to four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) region tournaments, won the 2007 championship and secured a spot in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history. He was named the 2007 NAIA Region Coach of the Year.

Buchholz began his coaching career in 2000, spending one season as the assistant men’s coach at Northwestern College. He also served as the head women’s soccer coach at Northwestern during the 2007 season, leading the squad to a 7-10-1 ledger.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northwestern College in 1999 and earned his master’s degree in sports management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2008.

Buchholz and his wife, Candace, have three daughters, Season (10), Chloe (7) and Sophie (3).

The Student Union and Carlson Library will fully reopen to the public Friday, May 29, following the completion of repairs to water lines to the buildings.

Water was restored to the buildings Thursday afternoon, and restroom facilities can be used.

The drinking fountains, however, will remain closed while the buildings are under a boil water drinking advisory.

Food service in the Student Union will reopen after Toledo-Lucas County Health Department officials test the water and the drinking water advisory is lifted.

During the summer months Starbucks, Subway, Magic Wok and Phoenica Cuisine are open on weekdays. Starbucks is open form 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Subway and Magic Wok are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Phoenicia Cuisine’s hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we worked to address this issue,” said Jason Toth, associate vice president of facilities.

Following a water main break earlier this month, approximately 100 feet of waterlines to the union and library buildings were replaced. Portable toilets, hand-washing stations, bottled water and maintained life safety systems allowed for limited operations during the repairs.

The University of Toledo women’s basketball program will host its second annual golf outing Monday, June 29, at Heatherdowns Country Club.

The outing will give fans a chance to golf with Rocket coaches and players for a day of competition and fun that supports the UT women’s basketball program.

The entry fee for the outing is $125 per person, $475 for a foursome, or $75 for women’s basketball alumnae. The fee includes use of the driving range prior to the event, pre-golf breakfast, golf, post-golf lunch, and closest to the hole and longest drive competitions.

Registration and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. with the shotgun start following at 9 a.m.

That’s the experience Alpha Xi Delta’s Programs Vice President Jennifer Huffman’s younger brother, Thomas, had at his prom last month — only he had 16 dates.

Thomas has level-one autism, which prevented him from enjoying dances throughout high school. So when Huffman’s parents told her that her brother didn’t have a prom group with less than a week before the big night, she got the idea to ask her sorority sisters if they would be interested in being his dates. Alpha Xi Delta’s philanthropy is Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.

Sixteen members of the sorority attended Lima Central Catholic’s prom April 25.

“It was a complete surprise,” Huffman said. “He had no idea we were coming.”

Jennifer Huffman, vice president of programs for Alpha Xi Delta, gave a hug to her brother, Thomas, before he left for the prom.

After surprising Thomas at his home in Lima, the girls took numerous pictures with him. Then after dinner they escorted Thomas to the dance, where the school allowed them to join him for the first song of the evening. The song was “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from Thomas’s favorite movie, “The Lion King” — a film he likes so much that he can recite the whole script in 12 different languages.

Each girl took a turn dancing with Thomas during the song.

“He’s never really done something like this before, so I just thought it was really cool that everyone drove down for him,” Huffman said. “It made it a really special time for him.”

After the sorority girls left, Thomas was awarded prom king. While receiving his crown, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” another classic tune from Thomas’s favorite film, was played.

“It’s my favorite memory of Alpha Xi Delta so far,” said Gabrielle Radford, a sophomore majoring in exercise science and member of the sorority. “It was so great standing in that circle dancing with him; we were all starting to cry, and he sang every single word to [‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’]. It was just such a great night.”

Thomas graduated May 9. He plans to attend the Lima branch of Ohio State University this fall.

Three special courses are being offered this summer to teach students about the Toledo’s aquatic habitats.

Students are invited to enroll in three different one-week courses this summer through the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center. Each course is comprised of two semester credits — one lecture credit and one lab credit — and features hands-on learning opportunities in the Toledo community.

Intro to Aquatic Ecology (EEES 2980) will be taught by Dr. Douglas Kane and will run from Monday, June 15, to Friday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The class will explore the ecology of inland waters, with a specific emphasis on the Maumee River watershed and the western basin of Lake Erie. It is open to undergraduate and advanced high school students and teachers.

Field Ecology and Behavior of Fishes, which offers two sections for undergraduate students (EEES 4980) and graduate students (EEES 6980), will be taught by Dr. David Jude starting Monday, July 6, through Friday, July 10, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This course will teach about fish habitats specifically in the Great Lakes emphasizing how humans have affected fish communities. Students will learn how fish are processed to provide useful data, how habitat affects distribution and abundance of species, how toxic substances affect fish, and the importance of understanding larval fish taxonomy.

Field Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians and Reptiles also has two sections, undergraduate (EEES 4980) and graduate (EEES 6980). It will be offered Monday, July 13, through Friday, July 17, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Katy Klymus will teach the courses, which will serve as an introduction to herpetology — the study of reptiles and amphibians. Students will have the opportunity to study the basic taxonomy of these two groups, specifically native Ohio species.

To register, students should go to the myUT portal and click on the student tab.

“Getting seven women into the NCAA meet is a great accomplishment,” Head Coach Linh Nguyen said. “We doubled the amount of distance runners from last year and added Carly in the javelin. If pole-vaulter Alexa [Jarrett] were healthy, we would have had two field event qualifiers.

“Obviously, these women all worked really hard to get to this point and will be excited to get down to Florida and try to advance to the finals. I couldn’t be any more proud of them for what they’ve accomplished so far this year,” Nguyen said. “At the same time, I know we have some people very capable of getting to the finals, so I’m looking forward to seeing them do so.”

Weiler and Tullis are Toledo’s highest-seeded competitors in the field. Weiler ranks 17th in the region in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:09.42, which she achieved at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays April 18 in Walnut, Calif. Tullis is 18th in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 34:21.19 registered at Mt. San Antonio College Relays as well.

A 20th-place finisher in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in last year’s NCAA Championships, Chojnacky is joining Weiler this week with a No. 31 ranking with a time of 10:16.98 notched at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays. Also ranking in the top 40 is Molls, who is 37th in the javelin with a throw of 46.19 at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays.

Sophomore Cassie Vince will join Tullis in the 10,000-meter race with a No. 46 seed following a third-place showing and a time of 35:00.00 at the Mid-American Conference Championship.

Senior Megan Wright will represent the Rockets in the 1,500-meter race; she qualified 47th with a time of 4:23.87 at Hillsdale College’s Gina Relays. Senior Cara DeAngelis is running in the 5,000-meter event, ranking 48th with a time of 16:28.79 at Hillsdale College’s GINA Relays.

The top 12 finishers in each individual event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships that will take place Wednesday through Saturday, June 10-13, in Eugene, Ore.

A new approach to kidney transplantation developed by a University of Toledo Health transplant surgeon aims to connect donors and patients around the globe in a way that reduces cost, improves quality, and increases access to life-saving care for people suffering from kidney failure.

Dr. Michael Rees explained the concept of Reverse Transplant Tourism to Jose and Kristine Mamaril, a couple from the Philippines.

Dr. Michael Rees created the concept of Reverse Transplant Tourism as an alternative to the black market of organ trading, known as transplant tourism.

“This revolutionary concept could be an important step in solving the kidney shortage in the United States,” he said. “To some extent, it also will reduce American participation in the exploitive and dangerous international kidney black market as thousands of more kidneys could become available.”

Instead of thinking of the developing world as a place where there are desperate people who will sell their kidneys for money, Rees proposes a new approach where the developing world can be seen as a place where there are desperate patients with kidney failure who need kidney transplants and who have willing, living kidney donors, but insufficient financial resources to pay for their transplant and subsequent immunosuppression.

Jose Mamaril received a kidney transplant in January at UT Medical Center. His wife, Kristine, continued the donor chain for another patient in need.

The first Reverse Transplant Tourism exchange earlier this year successfully connected Jose Mamaril of the Philippines, who has end-stage renal disease but not the means to pay for a transplant or regular dialysis, with an American donor. His wife, Kristine, donated her kidney as part of the exchange that created a donor chain that has already benefited 10 people with kidney failure and promises to help more with another donor waiting to continue the chain.

These patients have benefited from the help of transplant surgeons at The University of Toledo Medical Center, University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Wake Forrest University in Salem, N.C., and Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.

In the past, barriers to transplantation have been blood type or antibodies. The barrier Rees is working to overcome now is poverty.

The Mamarils would not be considered poor by most standards. They both are college-educated. She is an accountant for Dunkin’ Donuts in the Philippines’ Laguna province where they live, and he operated a taxi business.

But after Jose was diagnosed with kidney failure, the family needed to borrow money and then sell his business, all of their possessions, and their home to pay for expensive dialysis and medications to keep him alive. It was a difficult time for them and their 8-year-old son, John.

“They never gave up on me,” Jose said.

A series of connections between Rees and other transplant surgeons across the world led to Jose coming to the United States as the first Reverse Transplant Tourism beneficiary. He received his new kidney Jan. 22 at UTMC.

“It’s like a miracle it all happened,” Kristine said.

“I’m happy to get this chance at life and to be here for my son,” Jose said.

In some areas of the world, such as where the Mamarils live, there is little problem finding living kidney donors from family or community members, but they cannot afford dialysis or kidney transplantation.

In the United States, the barrier is more supply and demand. In 2014, nearly 5,000 Americans unnecessarily died waiting for a kidney, and there are currently more than 100,000 patients listed on the UNOS deceased donor waiting list. In 2008, that number was at 84,000. In 2013, there were 16,895 kidney transplants in the United States, only slightly more than the 16,521 performed in 2008. Based on these figures, the kidney transplant waiting list has increased by 34 percent since 2008, yet the number of kidney transplants remains virtually unchanged.

But there are enough donor and recipient pairs in developing countries that would allow many Americans who have incompatible donors to receive a kidney through paired exchanges, Rees said. This is especially true if the donor from the emerging nation has blood type O and the recipient falls within the blood groups of A, B or AB, such as the Mamaril family, he added.

Averaged over time, the cost of treating patients with end-stage renal disease with dialysis is three times the cost of treating patients with kidney transplantation. According to Rees’ research, the annual cost of dialysis for a Medicare patient is $90,000 compared to $33,000 for kidney transplantation. Overall, the United States spends some $50 billion treating end-stage renal disease.

The first Reverse Transplant Tourism exchange was funded with $150,000 raised by the Alliance for Paired Donation, which Rees founded. Philanthropy alone cannot support this method, and it has not yet been financially supported by Medicare and health-care insurers under current policies.

Rees argues that by covering the procedure for one donor and recipient from an emerging nation, not only would Medicare help save American lives but also millions of dollars in medical costs over time.

“As the U.S. looks for unique methods to address health-care reform, Reverse Transplant Tourism is one of very few strategies that simultaneously achieves the goals of reduced cost, improved quality and increased access,” Rees said. “In this new approach, everyone wins.”

A national leader in legal education and property law will become The University of Toledo College of Law’s next dean, pending approval by UT’s Board of Trustees, University officials announced today.

Barros

Benjamin Barros, associate dean of academic affairs at Widener University’s School of Law in Harrisburg, Pa., will be the college’s next leader following a national search.

“Ben Barros has extensive experience in legal education and in the practice of law at two of the nation’s top law firms, each with an international footprint,” said John Barrett, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “As dean, Ben will bring with him innovative educational approaches that respond to the changes in the legal profession and ensure our law graduates continue to leave UT a step ahead of their peers as they pursue employment.”

Barros said the strength of UT’s law school was one of the key components that attracted him to the position.

“UT’s law graduates have some of the best bar passage rates in both Ohio and Michigan and a big part of that is unquestionably the stellar faculty that comprise the College of Law,” Barros said. “Faculty are regularly advancing national legal conversations in their published scholarship and are frequently the voices media at a national level reach out to for expertise.

“The result is an alumni base that is very successful in the profession and holds many prestigious and influential positions across the country,” Barros said, also noting the college has positioned itself very competitively with its current tuition pricing.

Barros also emphasized the importance of a continued partnership with the local legal community for the college and UT’s students.

Prior to joining Widener University, Barros worked as an attorney at the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, and before that at Debevoise & Plimpton, both in New York City. He has taught at Fordham University and Catholic University.

Immediately after graduating law school at Fordham, Barros clerked for Judge Milton Pollack of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in philosophy from Colgate University and the University of Maryland, respectively.

Barros is the founding editor of the Journal of Law, Property and Society. He was one of the youngest educators to serve on the Executive Committee of the Association of American Law Schools and has served as chair of its Property Section as well as president of the Association for Law, Property and Society.

Earlier this year, he published a textbook on property law with Aspen and Wolters Kluwer and has been published in leading philosophy journals including Philosophy of Science and Synthese.

A recipient of Widener law school’s outstanding faculty award this spring, Barros said student success is the primary goal.

“The most rewarding part of being a law professor to me is seeing the transformation of my students in law school and following their career success,” he said.

Barrett also thanked Daniel Steinbock for his service as the college’s dean since 2011. He also served as interim dean in 2010.

“Under Dean Steinbock’s leadership, UT law graduates passed the bar exam at some of the highest rates in Michigan and Ohio,” Barrett said. “From faculty scholarship, to fundraising, to community engagement, Dan is leaving the deanship in a much stronger state. I know I speak for many when I say thank you for all he has accomplished on behalf of UT.”

UT Health will host a Toledo Heart Walk pep rally Wednesday, May 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the mall area by Mulford Library.

UT Health employee and heart attack survivor Violet Townsend will be among the attendees. She will be available for media interviews.

“I will be celebrating my second chance,” the clerical specialist said. “It was scary having a heart attack. I went from not believing I had any heart issues to finding out that I had 70 percent blockage.”

The pep rally called Heart-Palooza is the precursor to the Greater Toledo Heart Walk, which will take place Saturday, May 30, at 8 a.m. at the Huntington Center in downtown Toledo.

UT employees, including Townsend, are participating with a goal of raising $40,000 for the University team. Dave Morlock, CEO of UT Health, is the chair of the 2015 Toledo Heart Walk.

“I challenged our employees to raise $40,000 for this worthy cause because we at UT Health understand more than anyone how crucial heart health is to a person’s quality of life,” Morlock said. “Millions of Americans live with heart disease, stroke or a cardiovascular condition. Money generated from this walk will help fund the valuable research, education and advocacy efforts of the American Heart Association.”

Games, food and education will be among the festivities at Heart-Palooza. Harvey J. Steele from K100 Country will broadcast live from the event, which is free and open to the public. Reel 2 Real Studio will provide music.

Participants can pick up their UT team T-shirts during Heart-Palooza. Those who want to sign up for the Heart Walk can do so at the event.

“This is a great time for UT employees to come together and get excited about the Greater Toledo Heart Walk,” said Andrea Jacobs, marketing coordinator for the Heart and Vascular Center at UT Health. “Even if you aren’t able to participate in the actual walk, you can donate on behalf of a person or you can just come and support our walkers.”

During Heart-Palooza, attendees can buy raffle tickets to win one of three prizes: an iPad, Fitbit or UT Health gift bag that contains branded merchandise and gift cards to Caffeini’s Coffee and the hospital gift shop. Tickets will be $1 for one; $5 for six; and $10 for an arm’s length of tickets. Proceeds from the raffle will go toward UT’s Health $40,000 fundraising goal.